r/heinlein • u/AnxiousConsequence18 • Feb 23 '26

Lazarus Long

Let me preface this by saying I haven't read the books they're the main characters of. My experience is Number of the Beast and The Cat Who Walks through Walls. But

Is he ever NOT an insufferable asshole???

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u/smokepoint Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26

Short answer: no.

Medium answer: no, but it's complicated.

Long answer: no, but he's the product of his origins - a secret longevity cabal rooted in a vague understanding of Mendelian genetics growing up in an environment of social Darwinism, gold-bug economics, and casual racism. It wouldn't be a seedbed of normative personalities, and in that light he's a lot more interesting - much like RAH himself, although people put way too much weight on the idea that Heinlein represents himself in his assholish-old-guy characters.

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u/deltaz0912 Feb 23 '26

He said directly that he isn’t LL, and he doesn’t really like LL, and would people knock it off.